Sir, May I venture to bring to notice of those of your readers who have children attending the Elementary Schools of the parish, the great importance of regular attendance, not only in the interests of the scholars whose progres is retarded by irregularity, but also as affecting the finances of the schools.

The Government Grants now depend on the average attendance. To put it so that all may understand, I may state that each attendance a child makes at school is worth about three farthings in Government Grant.
In this school, the ordinary average attendance is about 84 percent. In other words we have, as a rule, 30 to 40 boys away every time the school is open. Taking this as a basis for the other schools we may assume that of the 1,500 children the Elementary Schools in the parish there are somewhere about 200 away every half-day.
Of course, of this number, some are ill or have good reason for absence, but I think I shall be well within the mark when I say that probably half this number are kept without sufficient excuse.
Now it will be readily seen that if we could get these children regularly to school, it would mean a considerable increase to the Grants at the end of the year.
24th March 1897